- June 22, 2018
Senator Carper Highlights National G.I. Bill Week
This week, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves, spoke on the Senate floor commemorating the 74th anniversary of the G.I. Bill. On Tuesday, Senator Carper was joined by Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) in introducing a bipartisan resolution recognizing the week of June 18-22 as National G.I. Bill Commemoration Week. On Thursday, the resolution unanimously passed the Senate.
This week marks the 74th anniversary of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the G.I. Bill, landmark legislation that provided educational assistance to service members, veterans and their families. A companion resolution was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the G.I. Bill, provided educational assistance to service members, veterans and their families. It sent nearly 8 million returning WWII veterans to college and vocational schools. Today, veterans are taking advantage of a similar benefit in the Post 9/11-G.I. Bill.
“Thanks to the G.I. Bill, millions of returning WWII veterans flooded our nation’s colleges and universities and ushered in an era of unprecedented economic expansion. Since 1944, the G.I. Bill has transformed our country and the lives of millions of veterans – including me. It helped to create a middle class in this country as millions of G.I.s came back and had the chance to learn a skill, go to college and have economic opportunities for them and their families that never before had been possible.
“The G.I. Bill is one of the greatest pieces of legislation we have ever passed in this country. It is the gift that keeps on giving and, hopefully, will continue to do so for a long time.”
Video of Senator Carper’s full remarks are available here.
The full text of the resolution can be found here.